The Extremely Trivial Reasons I stay with Windows Phone

[raycpl]

My fave is pining contact live tiles to my start screen. No other OS has this. .. Imagine also W10 with vertical (1x2, even 1x3) tiles... no more restricted to just mug-shots but full body picture !!!

 

[dundonrl]

the reason why I went to a Windows phone.. I detest Apple products.. and when Google bought Motorola they cancelled the promised upgrade on the Atrix 4g to Android 4.0 ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich).. since then I have refused to use ANY Google product if I can help it..

 

[anony_mouse]

And finally, the most important...

I want to be different.

If you want to be different, it would be better to cultivate some interestingly unusual opinions or lifestyle. Owning a slightly unusual phone does not make you different in any meaningful way.

I remain astonished that people believe they can express their individuality by buying products from enormous corporations.

 

[fitchalcyone]

This isn't quite a reason why I'm staying with the platform, but you can say it's a trivial admiration.

I always absolutely love how tiles, messages, and the like react to your touch based on where you press them. If you tap on a tile in the upper right corner, it depresses at that corner. I thought that small thing was a nice touch.

Why am I here to stay, despite all the struggles so far? Well, Windows Phone is just unique and I commend what it's put into place. I am a fan of modern, contrasting art styles, and the interface represents just that. The interface honestly was what caught my eye years ago and sold me on an HTC HD7.

And yes, some here disagree that your phone expresses you, but I think it does to an extent. I have my 1520 and my coworkers in my department know me well for it , jokingly calling me "the green phone guy."

 

[muneshyne21]

If you want to be different, it would be better to cultivate some interestingly unusual opinions or lifestyle. Owning a slightly unusual phone does not make you different in any meaningful way.

I remain astonished that people believe they can express their individuality by buying products from enormous corporations.

Who I am determines what I buy. For others, what you buy determines who you are. I doubt SMOHEATH is that one dimensional. Besides, we are talking about "Trivial" reasons. So, technically, if being different is considered a trivial reason then he is aware that its not a reflection of his entire being.

 

[anony_mouse]

For others, what you buy determines who you are.

To be clear, my smartphone does NOT reflect who I am. It's just something I use for communication, that I chose because it offered a reasonable level of features and performance for the price. If I choose to buy a different smartphone in the future, maybe based on a different platform from another major corporation, that will not change who I am.

I *really* hope that is true for everyone.

 

[Qais Abu-Hasan]

I love the ability to update system apps , and the camera ! This really helps and makes me feel always supported

 

[EBUK]

I love the 'bounce' when you scroll up or down.
Live Tiles - never thought I'd like them, but now I appreciate they are far more useful than Widgets on Android.
Agenda View in Calendar.

There are so many little touches that make WP8.1 such an efficient and pleasant device to use.

 

[muneshyne21]

I love the ability to update system apps , and the camera ! This really helps and makes me feel always supported

That's another good one even though it is actually a major advantage compared to the other OSes. I guess its subtlety makes it seem trivial.

 

[hidayat225]

My fave is pining contact live tiles to my start screen. No other OS has this. .. Imagine also W10 with vertical (1x2, even 1x3) tiles... no more restricted to just mug-shots but full body picture !!!

Pinning contacts is actually also available on Android with the help of certain launchers. But I have to say its more simple to do it than on Android.

 

[MysticForce]

@smoheath I have the same reasons for loving WP. :smile:

 

[mohit9206]

I saw a similar thread on Android Central where the title was 'Trivial reasons i stay with Android over iOS'
Anyways here are my reasons
-Double tap to wake.
-I LOVE NOKIA
-No hassle of dealing with background tasks.
Reasons i sold my Lumia for Android
-Better multitasking experience
-File manager with full functionality
-Ability to sideload apps
- More variety in games and apps

 

[DuoWing]

I recently picked up a Galaxy S5 to see what Android is like since it's been a while. Also to have a nice phone to use while my 1520 is being sent for screen repair.
Honestly for Windows Phones the main reasons I stay/like:
- Camera Button
- Smoother/less laggy
- Live Tiles/Homescreen
- Lock Screen
- Metro/Modern UI (I just really like this design language. Although in some areas I think a little bit of a redesign wouldn't hurt)

 

[Evronian]

I love being able to pin YouTube videos (using MetroTube) to the start screen.. I came from android and I've never felt the need for an official YouTube app, MetroTube, MyTube and the likes in my opinion are way better..

 

[ChrisP1]

Dedicated camera button. I tried to take a picture with the iPhone; I had no idea how to use it.

I enjoy a dedicated camera button to. On an iPhone, just like on a windows phone there is a button on the screen to take a picture but you can also use the volume up button to take pictures.

 

[ChrisP1]

For me it is the live tiles, windows apps ui(previously known as modern and before that metro apps) which I have really liked and then the third is integration with windows because I use a windows PC.

 

[jontyfernz]

I love a lot of things about windows phone since I jumped on board back in November of 2012. In my mind there are definite value propositions (or differentiators) to stay with WP over android or iPhone. Some of these include: MS Office, simple, awesome cameras, more affordable, Cortana, etc. But when I think about it, the reasons I stay with windows phone are completely trivial and almost visceral.

1. Capacitive buttons - whenever I use someone's iPhone or Samsung galaxy phone I get extremely annoyed that I have to put effort into pushing the home button. It is such a stupid reason, especially since it requires almost no effort in pushing these buttons. But when you come from lovely capacitive home, back, and search buttons, a physical button is a deal breaker. Also, on screen capacitive buttons are good, but inferior to the always there capacitive ones.

2. The Back Button - once again, whenever I use a friend's iPhone I have no idea how they get around the interface. There have been a few times when I am doing something and ask, "How do I go back just one page?" and the response is, "Hit the home button." Then I respond, "But that's not what I want to do, I just want to go back to the previous page." I know most apps have internal back buttons, but not all do. I really don't know how the iPhone was ever considered simple; it confuses the heck out of me. I realize that I could probably get used to it after one week of owning an iPhone, but that week sounds terrible.

3. Color - I feel like WP was the first OS to have hardware that was colorful, and not just a black or white slab. Things are obviously changing and more manufacturers are bringing color to their devices, but I love that WP (mostly Nokia) was bold enough to make phones with "punch in face" colors.

4. Home Screen Design - I love that I can make my WP personal and live. The iPhone home screen is stagnant and dull. "So... on your iPhone you can change the background and put some apps in folders?" woop-di-freaking-do. One could say that android has the same customizable and live (with widgets) home screen. But for some reason, in my mind, it just doesn't have the same feel as windows phone does.

And finally, the most important...

I want to be different.

I don't want to be just another shmo with a phone that everyone and their dog has. When I'm on the bus or on campus, all I see is either iPhone's or Galaxy's (to a degree, obviously). I feel like your phone says a lot about you. And owning a windows phone says, "I'm different, and I want to be." I also really like that hardly anyone owns a windows phone. Cuz when I do meet someone with a windows phone while I'm out and about, we have this crazy cool exchange where we discuss how awesome it is owning a windows phone. No joke, this has happened multiple times. Call me a hipster, but there is a part of me that doesn't want WP to get huge market share, just because I like being different.

Just thought I'd throw out a positive thread since there has been so much dribble in these forums of late. Feel free to add other random and trivial reasons you stick with the great underdog that is Windows Phone.

The reasons for me are

1.It's straight forward
2.No malware or viruses
3.Great for basic users
4.Has the best sound quality(atleast in mid-end phones)
5.The camera is awesome
6.It looks different

 

[TLRtheory]

I stick around for a lot of reasons.

1) One Integrated Ecosystem
Microsoft is the only one right now that actually has spread their services across all devices. With such a boom in universal apps, the same app I buy on my phone works on my tablet AND PC instead of just working on my phone and tablet. Apple is behind the times per their usual, and Google's push to get their Android apps on ChromeOS hasn't taken off to anywhere near the extent.

2) Balance
I've found WP to be a really nice balance between having customization and simplicity whereas otherwise you'd sacrifice simplicity for customization on Android, or get put into the big brother-ish chokehold of "We know what's best for you and you don't." that comes with Apple.

3) Xbox Live
This is quite possibly the silliest appeal, yet it's my guilty pleasure. I do wish more devs supported Xbox Live Mobile, but I'm very thankful for what we do have. While I don't particularly have tons of time to do so, I devote what I can to being an achievement hunter... and the appeal of having one social gaming standard that spreads across my Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows 8.1 computer, Windows 10 laptop, Windows 8.1 tablet and my smartphone is incredibly entertaining. Again, something neither Apple nor Google are doing to the same extent.

4) Interface & Design
I really love just how "alive" the Windows Phone interface looks. Having that push for glance-able tile information takes it so much further than the bland icons of yester-generation. Not only the interface, either - the Metro style has inspired some app designs that are a lot more beautiful, creative and distinct than what Android and iOS have to offer (Magnify and JobLens immediately come to mind as examples).

5) App Situation is a lot Healthier than People Give it Credit For
This would be the more important thing. I'm coming from Android which is actually leading the pack when it comes to apps (many don't seem to know Android surpassed iOS two years ago and has only increased it's lead more and more)... and coming from Android put me in a situation where I'll want to do every damn thing from banking to navigation, music streaming, video streaming, gaming, voice/text translation, radio listening, image editing, books, credit score monitoring, traffic planning, gas price monitoring, 60FPS YouTube(with the ability to play under lock screen), Twitch, stat tracking, stock tracking, social networking, Steam-to-Phone+moga game streaming, business networking, presentations, money management, lyrics-enhanced music, college material organization, package tracking, gift cards, loyalty cards, health/fitness, photography, shopping, bill payment, Roku control, RDP, news, note taking and a crap-ton more... and I'll want to do all that unhindered on my phone. Come the end of this month I'll no longer have NFC payment, but I'm very glad to say that is the one and only actual feature I'll have lost in the transition between Android to Windows Phone. EVERYTHING ELSE is there in some form or another.

6) The Lumia Brand is Running the Camera Game
You can find a more popular camera than what's offered on the likes of the Lumia 1020/1520/930/Icon, but they don't even come close to what I get when I'm out and about snapping pics. I personally saw photography as a profession to be too much of a gamble since I actually have a home and a family to take care of, but I know a lot of people who take it seriously. I'm not gonna claim I've the knowledge to get the most out of ProShot or even Lumia Camera 5, but my photographer friends sure do fawn over it every time I hand them my phone.

7) Takes Flair to Be Square
I've never really been a fan of round phones. I'm sure it's an unpopular opinion, but a solidly built squarish phone looks and feels so much better to me. I no longer have my Lumia 830 (got a great deal on a 930), but that phone just felt perfect.

Sure there's more, but that's the major stuff that comes to mind. I've had no problems using it as a daily driver and don't feel as if I'm shorting myself even though I've got a LG G3 and an iPhone 6 here that I could switch to at any time.

 

[spideymaniac]

A really nice thread, and surely a positive one, my reason using Lumia, because Nokia brand, but i agree with OP's point, I'd like to be different!

Also I'm a bit Nokia fan boy lol, WP is fast and fluid, so smooth although the resuming feature is a bit annoying tbh

Thanks OP for making this nice thread!

 

[smoheath]

Thanks everybody for contributing to this thread and creating some positivity for WP. Let's keep it rolling.